Oregon State University achieves record in private research support

Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWith support from the National Science Foundation, OSU took over operation of the R/V Oceanus in 2012.

9-10-12

Private support, technology licenses led increase in Oregon State
research revenues

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University recorded its second-best
year ever in research funding and achieved a new milestone in research support
from the private sector in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

In all, Oregon State research totaled almost $281 million last year
– just shy of OSU's top research performance achieved in 2010. Meanwhile,
private sector financing reached nearly $35 million, a 42 percent increase in
the past two years.

"Research produces revenues for practically every sector of
Oregon's economy," said Rick Spinrad, vice president for research at Oregon
State. "It's our best bet for moving the state forward."

Industry funding included payments for testing services,
environmental analysis, prototype development and licensing fees for the use of
OSU-developed intellectual property. Businesses partnering with the university
ranged from global corporations (HP, Intel and British Petroleum) to Oregon
companies (NuScale Power, Voxtel, Precision Castparts and Benchmade Knives).

Total technology licensing revenues increased about 3.5 percent
over FY11 to $4.3 million. OSU signed 108 new licenses, a 277 percent increase,
with companies in the fields of biotechnology, forest products, agriculture,
healthy aging and manufacturing.

"Technology licenses enable existing and emerging businesses to
turn OSU research into marketable products," Spinrad added. "The benefits show
up in faster, more efficient computer technologies; improved health care;
renewable sources of energy; more competitive manufacturing; and wheat,
hazelnuts and other crops that generate higher yields and resist disease.

"And it's about more than just the economy," Spinrad added.
"Research also saves lives. It guides policies that protect public health and
reduce the impact of natural hazards in our communities."

Funding from federal agencies has declined about 5 percent since
FY10. A drop was expected because in FY10 and FY11, OSU received a total of
about $35 million in one-time federal funding through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.

Nevertheless, over a five-year period, funding from federal
agencies has grown appreciably. For example, two agencies — the National
Science Foundation and the Department of Energy Office of Science — saw an
increase in appropriations of about 27 percent. However, during that time,
OSU's grants from those two agencies grew at almost twice that rate, about 49
percent. Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, OSU's largest single
source of research funding, grew 58 percent in that period.

"This research success is really a testament to our faculty who
continue to focus on state and national priorities in areas such as food
production, technology, health care, energy and the environment," said Spinrad.
"Their success makes great opportunities available to our students and is the
basis for partnerships with government agencies and Oregon businesses."

Oregon State faculty continued to increase their success rate in
competitive grant proposals to foundations and federal agencies. More than 50
percent of all proposals received funding in FY12. That continues a trend that
began in FY08, when the OSU success rate was 38 percent.

"Competition for research funding is increasing," said Spinrad. "But
we continue to hire talented research faculty with support from the Campaign
for OSU. We're creating new partnerships with businesses, agencies, foundations
and universities and attracting students who want to make a difference.
Patents, licensing agreements, startup companies – traditionally seen as
indicators leading to future growth – are going in the right direction."

Among companies signing licenses with Oregon State last year were
three new startups: Applied Exergy (energy storage), Microflow CVO (chemical
mixing) and CLJV (forest products). Since 2006, OSU has spun off 11 companies
that have attracted more than $180 million in capital investment.

The university had its best month ever last September with more
than $42 million in funding, led by its single largest grant for the year from
the NSF. With an initial investment of $12 million, Oregon State partnered with
the University of Oregon to establish the Center for Sustainable Materials
Chemistry, which has labs and research teams on both campuses. Following
discoveries that led to dramatic improvements in semiconductor performance and
reductions in the use of toxic chemicals for production, that initiative has
already spun off two startup businesses and generated more than a dozen
patents.

Altogether, Oregon State's largest grants in FY12 came from six
federal agencies and one state agency for work in agriculture, chemistry,
public health, cancer prevention, nutrition, environmental protection,
alternative energy and marine resources. They include:

$3.9 million for
research to address the growing threat of childhood obesity (U.S. Department of
Agriculture)

$3.4 million for a
multi-agency ocean research program housed at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science
Center in Newport (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

$2.8 million for new
ways to monitor air and water pollution by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) and to protect human health (U.S. Public Health Service)

$1.9 million to study
methods for producing biofuels from woody debris (U.S. Department of
Agriculture)

Private foundations provided a significant portion of Oregon State's
research funding. For example, grants from the Murdock Charitable Trust
supported work in sustainable materials, ocean chemistry and biomedical
research. A $450,000 Murdock grant enabled the College of Engineering to
purchase a multi-chamber facility for testing the durability of new concrete
mixtures, and additional funds support scientists working on seafloor processes
and neurodegenerative diseases.

Private foundations provided a significant
portion of Oregon State's research funding. For example, grants from the
Murdock Charitable Trust supported work in sustainable materials, ocean
chemistry and biomedical research. A $450,000 Murdock grant enabled the College
of Engineering to purchase a multi-chamber facility for testing the durability
of new concrete mixtures, and additional funds support scientists working on
seafloor processes and neurodegenerative diseases.

Other nonprofits such as the
Agricultural Research Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and
the Ford Family Foundation supported work on natural resources, coastal
ecosystems and rural communities respectively. Such grants have provided
critical seed funding for ideas that have led to major projects in areas such
as ocean wave energy.